Does knowledge give someone the right to be arrogant?

Again a bit of a gap between blogs. Lot of interesting experiences in the past few months/years. I have learnt quite a bit from my experience with real estate folks, sales folks, many different type of colleagues, clients and recruiters.
One thing which stood out was how you behave with the chaps around you and how are you perceived by them.
I came across a couple of folks who thought their knowledge on a small subject in a large universe made them master of the universe. They somehow felt they could command respect, when that didn't help they decided to be mean and nasty to carry their fake sense of entitlement. Someone once said "you can judge a lot about a person's character by the way he/she treats his/her subordinates, not superiors mind you"
Unfortunately the colleagues were compliant and submissive to such behaviour, primarily because of the dependence that this select group had created. It got me thinking if that was really the way of the world. Was a scary thought. Anyways eventually things improved and that shadow has passed. But somewhere that fear still lurks, bidding it's time.

The day my wits and my wallet decided to teach me a lesson

It was 9th of July 2014, Cuttack had been hot n humid, we were off to Puri just after Bahuda to catch a glimpse of the deities outside the temple. It was a different experience. I had never seen the chariots in person and since I had the camera, I got busy. Someone else saw me got busy and made impromptu plans to teach me a lesson and make some quick bucks. I was wearing baggy shorts with good amount of safety against stealing. But I was so lost clicking those snaps, I had no clue the thief opened my back pocket and made away with the wallet. Just a few minutes back I was telling myself to be careful with the wallet but unfortunately didn't do anything about it other than make a mental note of it.
The feeling of helplessness that you get among a mass of people, after losing your wallet is difficult to describe. Thankfully my family was around, albeit I was a little bit away to catch a better view of the three chariots.
After the initial scoldings, it was a spate of phone calls to cancel all the cards, catch police guys to register a complaint, etc. It wasn't so easy, considering we're surrounded by a million people, cows, other animals/things found on streets of Puri, quite a chaotic environment. The Police wallahs were helpful after some tele-prodding by my advocate uncle, but they weren't going to do much more than filing a complaint in the station diary. Our requests to look at the CCTV were summarily turned down, many police personnel openly claimed that the CCTVs don't work. Of course had it been a big-wig who had lost even a penny, the entire state machinery would have been put to work to find the culprits, every one of the CCTVs would have automatically started working as if receiving a divine command from the God Almighty himself. Anyways I had resigned myself to the fate of my own folly. My biggest worries were the driving license, which I had obtained after much running around at the KR Puram RTO (different story, just realized I have posted it in a corruption fighting web-site but not in my blog, will do next) and my voter card.
Thankfully I realized I had taken out my voter card, but the DL was still gone.
Around this time, I kept getting a feeling that most people throw the wallet after taking out the money and maybe soon i'll get a call from someone who has found it.
And very soon I did. But not before I had deactivated all payment cards I was carrying. They told that there was no money in the wallet but all cards were intact including and to my immense relief, my drivers license. These guys claimed they found the wallet on the beach. We arranged to meet at a specific place, they wanted a reward, I at this point would have gladly given them too but it was highly possible that they themselves had pocked my pocket and decided to call me to get even more money after pocketing all the cash in the wallet. Anyways, my brother and father decided to stay a little away and observe these guys and I went in alone to meet them.
There were three of them, decent looking guys, they were quick to hand over the wallet. I gave them a few hundred rupees in gratitude, told them since I had deactivated all cards hence couldn't offer them more. Thanked them, my dad n brother joined asked them where they were from and then we all headed our way.
This putting to rest an eventful morning, we were so tired after that episode that abandoned all other plans, went to a good place to have a meal and sped back to cuttack.
I used to have a lot of faith on my instincts and situational awareness, this incident was a major dent on those claims and was a useful lesson - Don't wear loose shorts in crowded places.
Total monetary losses amounted to about Rs 3,000.
My family was demanding a treat for bearing with me that day, apparently I was thoroughly intolerable, I can imagine what they meant. I get extremely pissed when I lose something and this time the stakes were quite high.

My blog from IGATE's site on information management

http://www.igate.com/iblog/index.php/information-management-at-banks-emerging-trends-and-challenges/

Possible repercussions of india losing its investment grade rating (BBB-/Baa-)

I haven't written here since some time (2+ years), but today as I sat reading my previous posts, it was a joyful experience. Of course a lot has happened since I last wrote, most prominent of those were my marriage, quitting my cushy job, leaving Mumbai behind, my first property purchase, etc. Writing helps me keep things in perspective, focus on what to do next and the best path to take.

As we move into another election year I am bogged by this pertinent question: what will happen if Indian rating is downgraded below investment grade after a hung assembly post national elections.

One clear impact will be foreign investors who are not allowed to invest in non-investment grade securities will stay away from India. This would mean that pension funds and other long-term funds will stay away from India. It could also mean that if foreign investors with positions in India start exiting, the stock market might go down drastically in the days to come. This flow of capital will also pull the rupee down to maybe 100 vs the dollar.
The way foreign investors think about India is very important in deciding how well the Indian stock market performs. Since the beginning of the year foreign institutional investors have been net sellers (the difference between what they have bought and what they have sold) of stocks to the extent of US$ 318mm. In CY2013 they have been net buyers of US$ 118.28bn. FIIs have been a major force in the equity and debt markets off late. Ever since India eased capital controls post the 1991 crisis and FIIs were allowed to enter the market their participation has risen significantly. In 2005, they constituted ~7% of the total market cap. Equity market performance aside (they have been active in the debt market as well but the size is fairly small), I am more concerned about its impact on our day to day lives. Will we see any FDI still coming in? Of course there'll be lot of talk about India's fundamentals still being strong, etc. but the global impression will take a beating. Coming to my employment, IT companies should benefit from the Rs/US$ rate, India's advantage as a low cost destination will be strengthened, however, coming to the broader economy, the high import costs will be bad for the fiscal situation of the country. RBI will have a tough time controlling inflation, the Govt has been doing little to improve the infrastructure roadblocks, just monetary policy will not be able to contain inflation. At this time I am not able to comprehend the enormity of the repercussions that India will face but rest assured it'll trigger a domino effect not possibly resulting in much positive impact for the country.

Time to choose between what's right and what's easy

I'm writing to set things in perspective for me. In the next few days I'll mostly make the most important decision of my career (when looking back in retrospect I'll either be glad I did it or curse myself). The subject sums up the situation in one short succint phrase, taken from one of the harry potter books no less, profound I'll say!

On one side is the dream profile, front-end, sunrise sector, deal structuring, et al and on the other side is the prospect of a new location, a better life, and maybe more money. Caught between two islands, one doesn't lead to the other. They are probably as far apart as poles. None of them is a realized dream though. The latter has not shown any positive signs as yet. If I choose the latter and it doesn't come through then i'm stuck in this hole, for a long long time. The former ain't no cakewalk either. Its a very interest rate sensitive sector. Short-term scenario doesn't look good. Of course India will remain a perennial infrastructure starved land and there should be plenty of scope for infra finance companies but it has to be backed by management's will to succeed and of course their ability to manage both sides of the coin. I was lucky, is what I keep telling myself. I will not get another stab at the former or a similar role if I let go of it now, despite knowing this I am tempted to opt for the latter. Knowing all too well that there's no shining light visible at the end of the tunnel I'll head into. With the global economy teetering on the brink again, with populist measures being taken by my prospective future land's govt, it seems more and more unlikely that I stand a chance out there. But as they say, hope floats, just refuses to drown, no matter how big a sinker you attach to it. I can even put an eternal optimist to shame with my rays of hope. I hope (again) that I make the right decision. I mostly already know what's it gonna be. Maybe its for the best.

Writing on the wall

I got a writer's block or so i wud like to admit. So much has happened, its just too voluminous to cram into a few sentences.

After blowing up 2 months of vacations and my last infy reserves on a foreign trip and Orissa I finally decided to look for other employment options and thanks to a friend (for his guidance) I landed up in Mumbai. Not what I had planned but happy turn of events nevertheless. I managed to mis mumbai heat but banged right in the middle of its famed monsoons. Thanks to our quick house hunt n settlements, we have been able to sidestep most of the hassles faced by ppl. I have got over my mumbai-intimidation somewhat, but still have a lot to explore. Have been to Pune thrice since i came to Mumbai, quite an achievement considering even Pune locals havn't done it so many times thus far. I was of the opinion i'll never be coming to maharashtra again when i had last left its shores but fate had other plans, rather I had other plans for my fate.

As of now I seem to be happy n content. But can't stay in this blissful state for long. A wise guy once said "The day u're content with what you've become, u stop living" I need to get unsatisfied and start looking for greener pastures soon. I know the direction, all I need is a resolve or rather a jolt that will overcome the inertia and set things in motion. As of now I cant see the source of this change, maybe I am just not ready to see it coming. Hope I see light soon.

Karnataka Sampark Kranti

This should have been posted 5 days back now it'll just sound stale.

Circa June 8th 2005 : I packed up all my bags n said goodbye to Delhi, the occasion was completion of my B.E, had a tough time carrying 7-8 pieces of luggage, with the scar of the previous journey when i had boarded the wrong train instead of this one still fresh in my head i was hoping for an uneventful journey. Alas! it was not to be... the train hit a tractor on the tracks and 2 ppl sitting on it were killed.
I thought the villagers will set fire to our train, our sturdy engine managed to pull the train to the next station, we kept a watch for irate villagers who might storm the train and turn my worst fears into fruition.
Somehow all went well and our train rolled into b'lore city station safe n sound. A long wait awaited me at b'lore waiting for my next assignment i.e joining at infy.





Jumping to 1st April 2010: Packed all my bags n said goodbye to Pune, this time after my MBA, again travelling by the same train Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express. Apparently this train has two routes, one via Pune takes in-toto 44 hours from Delhi to B'lore, the other via nagpur-hyd, takes around 38 hrs for the entire journey. Earlier the SK Express(as announced on the PA system) had an awesoem pantry and lip smacking food but this time it was a huge disappointment, the pantry was only forcing biriyanis down our throats, me with my voracious appetite had to venture out to get delicious vadas n idlis from the platform, short journey but the recall value and coincidence feeling was awesome. Enjoyed every bit of it.
Last time i was totally alone but this time, friends had come to see me off, my bro had come down from b'luru to make himself useful with the heavy luggage, there were no boring moments this time.
But again a long wait ahead... dunno wat i'll do